For our fourth episode of Dine & Dish with Dawn, I didn’t have to go further than right around the corner from my house to get my interview on…and leave with a new baseball cap on my head.

There, I met up with Machete himself, actor & producer Danny Trejo, at his flagship restaurant, Trejo’s Tacos, where we enjoyed street tacos and street corn, while he waved at fans who honked at us as they drove down La Brea.

Danny and I dished about everything including his time in prison (including 4 months in “the hole”/solitary confinement which led to a life-changing epiphany), addiction and recovery, the importance of having people around you that you trust, what Cinco de Mayo really means, how the whole world can think you’re a movie star but you can’t, his mother’s dream of owning a restaurant and how – as fate would have it – he came to own a chain of restaurants of his own today.

The best role that Danny has played is that of a survivor. And, he’s not only survived, but thrived, and continues to give back. For Danny, he has had dreams come true that he didn’t even know were possible, and now he helps others fulfill their dreams and potential as an intervention counselor.

As much as he might play the “bad guy,” this nice guy is the first to tell you that he is not in charge…his faith is.

A man whose faith and work ethic have helped him overcome every obstacle, you won’t ever think of Danny Trejo the same way again.

Just don’t call him Marcia.

*Producer’s Note: This was our show’s first attempt at recording outside in Los Angeles, the audio is as rough around the edges as Danny is tough. Please be patient with me as I’m still learning here.

Thank you to the owners, cooks, management and waitstaff of Trejo’s Tacos where this podcast took place. And, thank you especially to the patrons who were so kind and patient to wait for pictures until after we had wrapped.

Special thanks to our sponsor, La Croix Water my healthy must-have as I continue to travel across America, dining & dishing, and indulging in all this good food. I’ve always got three packs of this bubbly goodness in my fridge!

A percentage from the sponsored fee for this podcast has been donated to the charity of Danny’s choice: the Learning Rights Law Center, a legal services nonprofit that fights for a child’s right to education, and assists low-income families by providing free legal counsel and advice, advocacy, direct representation, education, training and policy work.

We are dining and dishing at Wendell Smith’s – a local Nashville institution, where southern soul food and service with a smile reign supreme.

Trey and I chat about everything from shooting multiple music videos for Taylor Swift, to her muse Miranda Lambert and the connection they share, to George Strait and the seashores of Old Mexico and tales of Merle Haggard, to kind words from Keith Urban & Steven Tyler, how becoming a mother has actually elevated her career as a director, how the jobs we say no to are just as important as the jobs we say yes to and how she hopes that more women will get to share the level of success and recognition that she has.

This is a girl’s girl and a woman’s woman who has no problem hanging with the boys.

Trey is genuinely proud of – and inspired by – the artists she works with and the marriage of song and vision that they create together.

She puts pictures to the words of songs and she does it in a new way, with a fresh eyes, and with compassion for the artists she’s working with.

She’s also considered a “good luck charm” by industry insiders to many a musical career made in Nashville.

Bonus? You can hear my hidden Texan accent peek its little head out in this episode!

Sit back and enjoy this view of the world through the lens of the soulful, connected and talented…Trey Fanjoy.

In this episode of Dine & Dish with Dawn, I’m dining and dishing with Bette Davis Eyes herself, the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, Kim Carnes. Though I had met her years before while I was working in a little beauty store in Nashville, I felt an instant kinship when we were reintroduced for this podcast, when we dined at her favorite restaurant in Nashville, the tantalizing Two Ten Jack.

We chatted about everything from common coworkers and cohorts in Barbra Streisand and Quincy Jones to our love of Justin Timberlake to her experience writing an entire concept album for Kenny Rogers to the beauty of birthdays to lifelong dreams coming true to her epic experience with being a part of “We Are The World,” during which a guy named Michael Jackson held her hand the whole time.

Thank you to the owners, chefs and staff of Two Ten Jack in East Nashville, Tennessee where this podcast took place.

Special thanks to our sponsor, Emma J Company, one of my favorite jewelry lines on the planet, who I will be creating a collection with this fall.

A percentage from the sponsored fee for this podcast has been donated to a charity of Kim’s choice, All About Dogs Coastal Rescue, a non-profit rescue and adoption organization made up of volunteers who have a mission to find loving homes for our furry friends.

“If you write the song that only you can write, or you do the thing that only you can do, you’ve removed yourself yourself from competition. You don’t have to arm wrestle the world any more.” -Peter Cooper

To kick off this first episode of Dine & Dish with Dawn, I’m dining & dishing with country music expert, Country Music Hall of Fame editor, Vanderbilt University Professor, and Grammy-nominated musician, Peter Cooper at Lockeland Tablerestaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. My friend – and former East Nashville neighbor – and I talk about everything from finding your passion to the challenges we face as artists, and chat about the many celebrities we have both worked with and those who inspire us, including Kris Kristofferson, Barbra Streisand, Dierks Bentley, Tom T. Hall, John Prine, Todd Snider, Liz Gilbert, Emmylou Harris, Kenny Chesney, Jim Carrey, Johnny Cash, and Cowboy Jack Clement.

Come hungry, and prepare to laugh and be inspired…

*Join me for each Dine & Dish with Dawn episode as my celebrity guests and I indulge in the best restaurants across America, sip cocktails, enjoy wine, have a beer here and there, and talk about their journey, inspiration and what defines their career and life. For every show, I donate to our guest’s chosen charity or non-profit organization.

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Join Dawn for each Dine & Dish with Dawn episode as she and her celebrity guests indulge in the best restaurants across America, sip cocktails, share a dessert, and share a little inspiration and storytelling along the way.